Category: Government

Fresno Bee: “Nunes of Tulare is sheltered in a relatively safe Republican district, and may believe he will pay no political price for unfairly attacking law enforcement and protecting Trump. But his performance as chairman of the highly sensitive House Intelligence Committee has been nothing short of embarrassing.”

It’s time to vote this guy out. Preferably replaced by someone who will represent the people in his district.

Apple: “The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.”

I hope Google, Microsoft, and Facebook join in this effort to keep our data safe from the US Government. It’s none of their business what beer I drink or to see the conversations I’ve had with my wife, daughters, family, and friends.

While the FBI may have the proper motivation, hackers and thieves do not. You might as well publish your Social Security number and all of your financial data for the world to see.

The Dallas Morning News: “Abbott has ordered the Texas state Guard to monitor a large-scale, eight-week military exercise this summer of special operation forces. Social media has pushed the conspiracy notion that the exercise, called Jade Helm 15, is a ruse to confiscate guns and declare martial law in hostile states.“

The Guardian: “But they obviously had zero suspicion that David was associated with a terrorist organization or involved in any terrorist plot. Instead, they spent their time interrogating him about the NSA reporting which Laura Poitras, the Guardian and I are doing, as well the content of the electronic products he was carrying. They completely abused their own terrorism law for reasons having nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism: a potent reminder of how often governments lie when they claim that they need powers to stop “the terrorists”, and how dangerous it is to vest unchecked power with political officials in its name.”

So, it looks like UK agencies are now working with the NSA to intimidate reporters.

It’s getting pretty disgusting.

Our once great nation needs a new name. I’m thinking The United States of Terror.

Clearly the terrorists have won. Our own country is no better than the creeps we’re trying to stop.

I would not be surprised, in the least, to see acts of domestic terrorism rise. People hate being mistreated and crap like this is enough to push rational people to the breaking point.

The Atlantic: “The problem for the companies, it’s worth emphasizing, is not that they were so unduly eager to cooperate with U.S. government surveillance. Many seem to have done what they could to resist. The problem is what the U.S. government — first under Bush and Cheney, now under Obama and Biden — asked them to do. As long as they operate in U.S. territory and under U.S. laws, companies like Google or Facebook had no choice but to comply. But people around the world who have a choice about where to store their data, may understandably choose to avoid leaving it with companies subject to the way America now defines its security interests.”

Makes me wonder if any large technology company would have the guts to leave the United States? Of the bigs cooperating with the US Government, Google seems like the only one different enough to pull it off. Then again, even they’ve become more like the typical American corporation.

I worked for an oil and gas company for nine months, or so. They were one of those slimy companies that had their headquarters in another country to avoid paying certain types of taxes, but when your government forces you to become a scumbag you might as well go the whole hog and leave the country.

I know a company that has recently moved from using Google Docs to using another service because of security concerns. Makes you go hmmmmm.

Maybe Google, given Larry Page’s desire to create Google Island, could lead the pack in moving the Silicon Valley to Silicon Land and start a new country?

Michele Catalano: “This is where we are at. Where you have no expectation of privacy. Where trying to learn how to cook some lentils could possibly land you on a watch list. Where you have to watch every little thing you do because someone else is watching every little thing you do.”

It’s really quite sad we’ve come to this. In days long since past people would’ve started wars over things like this. Not today. Today we move along, more worried about our followers or likes than our own elected officials watching every little move we make.

New Yorker: Hundreds of congressmen complained of headaches, dizzy spells, and extreme fatigue after putting in what sources called “a six, maybe seven-hour day.”

I know I’m blessed to have a job where I sit on my butt most of the day. I’m not out in the heat picking cotton or stacking boxes of fruit in a packing house, but I do work. It’s no wonder America is broken. Our leadership has such a crappy work ethic.

Maybe this report is sarcastic and I’ve been duped into believing it, wouldn’t be the first time, I certainly hope so.

About

Rob Fahrni is a Software Developer in the little San Joaquin Valley town of Exeter, California, specializing in iOS App Development.